Suicide of troops only one symptom of National spiritual dysfunction in the U.S.A.
July 22, 2008
I passed a car this morning that had a yellow ribbon on it which said "Support The Troops", and a decal on it which said, "Thank them for their service protecting our country." And I wondered to myself how do you thank people who are engaged in immoral and illegal activity of waging a pre-emptive war for a corrupt government than has waged war based on lies?
The Nurmeburg trials after World War II developed the principle that "just following orders" does not absolve a person from legal and moral guilt. The fact is that many of our troops are engaged in illegal and immoral activities, activities which they cannot justify to themselves or to others and so when they return home "from duty", from engaging in these activities they are killing themselves in greater and greater numbers.
Our chauvanistic and patriotic jingoism does not help these soldiers at all because they know what they did, and they are not proud, and they cannot say anything when they are being falsely adulated, and continued to be lied to that they have done brave and noble things.
What our soldiers and our country needs more than anything is the truth, because it is the truth that sets people free not lies in spite of what the current administration tells us.
When American soldiers choose suicide over life back in the U.S.A. that should tell us something. They know something we don't know and that is that our spirit is seriously broken and corrupted as a nation.
Truth, honesty, repentence, forgiveness, exoneration, reconciliation are badly needed in our national soul and the prophetic leadership is sadly lacking. Until it emerges our returning troops will continue to suffer and kill themselves.
It is a mistake to view the suicide and psychiatric crises in our returning veterans as mental health problems alone. At the core they are spiritual problems, and Americans as a whole share a spiritual responsibility for the state of our nation's soul. The suicide of our soldiers is only one symptom of serious spiritual dysfunction of our country.
James Jenkins was a Marine who served two rotations in Iraq. He became increasingly agitated and dispairing over the 212 people he states he killed and he told his mother he didn't understand why he was there. It seems that a very promising, bright, hard working, intelligent young man joined the service "for college money" and "to serve his country" only to find out that the "service" involved unspeakable activities that he would rather kill himself for than have to live with. It is a very sad commentary on how the current administration and our country has exploited its youth and their potential for very dishonorable , deceiftul, and destructive policies.
The blood of James Jenkins, the 212 people he killed, and the thousands and millions who have suffered because of this tragic policy falls on George Bush and his ilk and all the idiots in this country who voted for them.
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